UN Rights Chief Warns AI Could Become Existential Threat to Humanity
U.N. rights chief Volker Turk warned on Monday that artificial intelligence could become powerful enough to threaten humanity. They said he would urge companies in the coming days to reduce the risks.
“I share the concerns of industry insiders that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity,” Turk told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva in a sweeping speech ahead of the start of his second term next month.
“I am calling here, today, for an all-out effort to put cast-iron guarantees in place around the safety and security of AI, before it is too late.”
Turk warned that humans currently face “unfamiliar, even unprecedented” threats to their rights from rapid AI development, demanding immediate action to reduce risks and calling for binding safety and security guarantees around advanced AI systems.
The warning comes at the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on September 7, 2026. #UN Rights Chief Warns AI Could Become Existential Threat to Humanity# AI Can Accelerate Growth in Developing Countries – World Bank
